Chapter 5: First Battle with the Extraordinary

Chapter 5: First Battle with the Extraordinary

The crew member facing him froze for a brief moment, casting a quick glance at Ian before reluctantly returning to the chaos of fighting off the pirates that were swarming onto the ship.

Ian swiftly reached behind his back, pulling out another hand axe. The earlier killing spree hadn't unsettled him; instead, there was a strange exhilaration. Precision! Everything felt instinctive, as if it required no adaptation.

A pirate on the outer edge noticed Ian running along the side of the ship, brandishing a longsword in a low stance as he charged towards him. This pirate had solid footing, his movements controlled—likely someone with some formal sword training.

Ian didn't slow down. His senses were alive with energy as his left hand flicked the axe forward. The weapon sliced through the air with speed and precision.

The pirate, already on guard, was caught off-guard by the axe's speed. He immediately halted, raising his sword in an attempt to block. At the last moment, he barely managed to bring the blade in front of him.

But just as he thought he had successfully parried, the axe curved slightly, bypassing the longsword and crashing into the pirate's right eye. The pirate's face twisted in disbelief as he collapsed, his body crumpling to the ground.

Ian's pace remained unbroken as he flew past the fallen pirate, casually retrieving his axe from the pirate's skull. The faint spiritual pulse from the attack hadn't alerted the two combatants engaged in a nearby fight. Ian slowed, concealing his presence as he moved closer to the battlefield.

I'll take care of you first.

His target was a pirate positioned further back. This pirate, tall and muscular, moved with delicate steps. He was carrying a small crossbow that emitted a faint magical aura. The pirate was aiming but hadn't fired yet—likely an elite among the pirates.

However, Ian sensed no extraordinary aura from him, suggesting that he hadn't yet tapped into the realm of the extraordinary.

Ian secured his curved blade at his back and gripped both axes—one in front and the other resting at his side—lowering his posture as he sprinted toward the pirate with the crossbow.

Having played enough games, Ian knew that in smaller skirmishes, it's better to end the fight quickly and decisively to avoid complications. He wanted to kill this pirate before he could react.

The surge of power within him, amplified by his extraordinary senses, made Ian feel as though he was the master of the battlefield. Everything within a few dozen meters of him seemed to be in his control, each movement and vibration filtered through his heightened senses.

The sudden surge of energy triggered a reaction in the two combatants still locked in their struggle. Both were alert, unable to determine whether the new arrival was a threat or an ally.

The pirate with the crossbow, however, was slower to react. Only when he noticed the approaching threat did he realize something was wrong—but it was too late.

Two axes streaked through the air, one after the other.

"Bill—!" The blood-hand pirate's delayed warning came too late.

The crossbow pirate, realizing the imminent danger, attempted to leap backward and twist his body to evade, but it was futile. His left shoulder and arm were severed as one of the axes cut through them, sending the arm flying through the air.

The pirate's scream was abruptly cut short as the second axe cleaved through his chest, sending his head spinning into the sea.

Ian didn't pause. He was already in motion, weaving through the chaos with remarkable speed and precision.

Blood-hand pirate, witnessing his companion fall, let out a furious roar. His instincts screamed danger, and he staggered backward, narrowly avoiding a strike. His wooden deck cracked beneath the force of his sudden movement. With his left hand, he swung his sword at the incoming threat, but before the blade could even connect, something invisible sliced through his arm.

Blood-hand pirate howled in pain as his left arm and the sword it held were severed in a single, invisible strike.

The unexpected turn of events made even the ship's captain freeze for a moment, momentarily caught off guard. He instinctively shifted into a defensive posture.

Ian stood at the ship's side, his right index and middle fingers moving through the air, and with a subtle motion, he caught a transparent card that had been drifting back toward him.

The card had been the source of the earlier attack, an extension of Ian's abilities. He'd used a spiritual card to land a deadly strike, and as the spiritual energy dissipated, the card became almost invisible to anyone but Ian.

The first sign of an awakened extraordinary sense was enhanced perception and reflexes. While an extraordinary person may not be stronger in raw power than an ordinary person, their heightened senses made them nearly impossible to hit with firearms or cannonballs in most situations. The real danger, however, was in subtle attacks—those that left no time for the target to react.

"Spiritual gear?" The captain murmured, unsure. Such gear was rare, and some could even blend into the spiritual realm, which the captain had never seen before.

"Stop him!" Ian was still watching the blood-hand pirate, who had momentarily stopped to look at his severed arm. Ian quickly shouted a warning to the distracted captain.

The pirate's bloodied arm seemed odd, and Ian couldn't afford to let him recover it—who knew what that arm could do if reattached?

The captain, clearly not distracted, whipped his right hand, sending his brilliant blue curved sword spinning through the air with a flash of white combat aura. It struck the blood-hand pirate, knocking him back a few steps.

The sword returned to the captain's hand in a smooth arc.

The blood-hand pirate, his face twisted in hatred, shot a final glare at Ian before turning and running. In just a few strides, he reached the ship's edge and leaped back onto the pirate vessel.

"Retreat!" His command rang out, and the pirates quickly began cutting the ropes connecting the two ships, scrambling back onto their own ship.

The merchant crew didn't attempt to stop them. Glances of relief were exchanged among the sailors, their faces showing the relief of surviving.

Ian didn't pursue. The captain looked at him in confusion, but Ian was too preoccupied with the card in his hand, leaning casually against a rope with no response.

As the two ships began to separate, the captain turned to his crew, shouting orders.

"Everyone back to your posts!"

"First Mate, take the helm!"

"Raise all sails, set the course with the tailwind!"

"Second Mate, organize the crew to put out the fire and repair the ship!"

The First Mate, a burly man with a thick beard, spoke again. "Captain, the Second Mate is dead."

"…" The captain swore under his breath.

"Gunner, you take the Second Mate's position!"

"Everyone, get moving!"

The captain rushed to give more orders, pulling the stout carpenter aside. "Carpenter, get the slaves to fill in the gaps. Make sure they stay in line."

The carpenter nodded grimly. "Understood, Captain."

Ian stood by the ship's side, watching the pirate ship slowly retreat into the distance. The blood-hand pirate had vanished from view, and the remaining pirates were frantically repairing their sails.

"Will they come back, Captain?" one of the sailors asked quietly.